The House of Representatives has paved the way for magistrates to conduct virtually hearing for persons in prison on remand.
Mover of the Bill, Attorney General, Sir Steadroy Benjamin, explained that the current law provides for those persons on remand must appear before the court every eight days to have their matters reviewed.
However, he noted that there may be times when it is difficult to have the prisoners taken to the court due to a number of factors.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Speaker, the magistrate was able to do the remands virtually. It worked very well then. We want to make it now a matter of law; so that the magistrate now can, based on the law, do the remands as the law requires, virtually. This is a move in the right direction,” he observed.
Sir Steadroy told his fellow parliamentarians that already this system is in operation in the magistracy in other OECS territories, which share a common judicial system, as well as in the OECS Supreme Court system.
“Therefore, it is only a natural consequence that this accommodation is made for the magistrate to now hear remand cases virtually,” he stated.
The Explanatory Memorandum attached to the Bill explained that the measure modernizes remand procedures by allowing magistrates to conduct remand hearings on a virtual platform when necessary or desirable.
Sir Steadroy said the measure provides for the effective functioning of the court as he urged the House’s approval.
In offering support for the measure, MP for St. John’s Rural West, Richard Lewis, noted that the amendments were necessary given the realities of the world today.
“There have been many lessons learnt from COVID 19, and one of those lessons is that life can exist in the virtual space, and, there is no going back to what we consider to be ‘normal life’. So life today has become a hybrid between the physical presence and the virtual world. Technology, over the years, has allowed us to bridge that physical gap and allowed us to minimize logistical challenge, and possibly minimize costs,” he remarked.
Therefore, he added, the nation’s laws must be amended to reflect these new realities.
The Bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration before heading for the Office of the Governor General to be signed into law.
